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Monday, January 2, 2012

Derby Burpee

Alternative names: sonsabitchesObjective: endurance and balanceTypical length of drill: 3 sets for two minutes each. 10 second break between setsMaterials needed: Full derby gear and whistle for the leaderSkill level required: Pass the fresh meat/level 1 test. There will be some falling, hopping and jumping.

Description: Inside referee's are really the only people that skate the full 60 minutes of a bout. The jam ref's really need to be in tip top shape in order to keep up with the jammers. There's nothing worse than a jam ref getting winded and lagging behind, thus missing out on points and penalties. This drill is a re-work of the classic burpee excercise. If you don't know what they are check out this video:

Make a circle. Put yourself in the middle. Start off in derby stance and start picking up your feet, alternating between left and right. Sort of like running in place. Get those knees high. When you blow the whistle everyone does a double knee fall then goes down into a four point (knees and elbows). Then immediately get to your feet and start running in place again. You can take it to the next level with a short jump when you get to your feet. Blow the whistle at random intervals. This really gets your heart rate up. See if you can go for two minutes. See if you can go longer. Take a short break and get back into it.

Additional notes: If you (as the leader) want to do this drill too then yell "down". I tell the group that the one that does it the best during the second time gets to come to the middle and lead the third. Make sure they're landing on all four wheels. It doesn't take much to twist an ankle or worse.

It's actually totally possible, I just saw Mass Attack Roller Derby doing these last weekend to warm-up for a scrimmage. The toe-stops are quite necessary because you land on them when you get down on the floor. You also have to make sure to keep your core engaged the whole time, that's going to help you a great deal with the balance. If you're uncomfortable with the move or worried about how to do it, I suggest you try it slowly carefully first, without the pressure of a timed drill. Amazingly, it is not as hard to do on skates as you might think :)